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Inducibility of the cytochrome P4501A4 (CYP1A4) enzyme, measured as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, has been used as a biomarker for sensitivity to the effects of dioxin-like compounds in avian species. Here, we present a quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (Q-PCR) method for assessing this biomarker response at the level of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. The method was validated for use in fresh samples as well as samples that have been analyzed for EROD activity previously. Concentration-dependent effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on CYP1A4 and CYP1A5 mRNA abundance were detected in fresh and post-EROD hepatocyte cultures. Although the quality of the RNA obtained from post-EROD samples was low, quantification of the CYP1A mRNA response to TCDD was not compromised. Several benefits of evaluating CYP1A mRNA expression in addition to EROD activity were noted. The CYP1A mRNA bioassay may provide more accurate estimates for the potency of environmental mixtures of contaminants and has a very low detection limit. When working with hepatocytes cultured from wild or endangered species, our approach can help to circumvent the problem of small sample size by maximizing the amount of data obtained from each sample.

An efficient method for measuring polychlorinated biphenyl-mediated induction of cytochrome P4501A, using the ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) assay, and total porphyrins in chicken embryo hepatocyte cultures is described. Hepatocytes were cultured in 48-well plates, assays were carried out within the wells, and concentrations of the product of the EROD reaction (resorufin), porphyrins, and total proteins were measured in the same wells with a fluorescence plate reader. The method differs from previous methods developed in this laboratory in that three fluorophors were measured in the same well rather than two.

A method for simultaneous measurement of the cytochrome P4501A-associated enzyme, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), and total protein concentration in liver microsomes is described. EROD assays were carried out in multiwell plates, and the fluorescent product (resorufin) and total proteins were quantified within the same wells with a fluorescence plate reader. Fluorescamine was used for protein assays.

Rapid and sensitive methods for measuring ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) induction and total intracellular porphyrin accumulation in cultured chicken embryo hepatocytes exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) are described. Cells were cultured in 48-well cell culture plates, and EROD assays were carried out directly within the wells. EROD activity and porphyrin concentrations were determined with a computer-operated fluorescence multiwell plate reader. Porphyrin and EROD assays could be carried out on the same plates or on separate plates. The assays allow one to obtain dose-response curves at rates that are approximately 100 times faster than conventional methods.

A rapid and sensitive method for the determination of porphyrin carboxylic acids in liver, kidney, and spleen by high-speed high-performance liquid chromatography is described. Porphyrins were extracted with recoveries greater than or equal to 98%, concentrated on disposable octadecylsilyl cartridges, and analyzed with a liquid chromatograph equipped with a 3 microns X 3 cm octadecylsilyl column and a fluorescence detector. Separation of di-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, hepta-, and octacarboxylic acids was achieved within 5 min. The detection limits for uro, copro, and protoporphyrin were 20, 10, and 20 fmol, respectively.